Thursday, February 25, 2010

I often will listen to my music shuffled, so I get a good mix of different styles during my day. Once in a while I catch up with some old favorites, or songs that really mean something to us right now. Here is one example of that. I think this is a good model for life, don't you? It is an old standard sung now by one of my favorite modern female singers, Madeleine Peyroux.

When we want to love, we loveWhen we want to kiss, we kissWith a little petting, we're gettingSome fun out of lifeWhen we want to work, we workWhen we want to play, we playIn a happy setting, we're gettingSome fun out of lifeMaybe we do the right thingMaybe we do the wrongSpending each dayWending our way alongBut when we want to sing, we singWhen we want to dance, we danceYou can do your betting, we're gettingSome fun out of life

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

It officially crunch time! We're now racing the clock to get things set for our renovation extravaganza. We plan on over hauling our newly bought house over the months of summer this year. So you'll be seeing a lot in the ways of that over the next 6 months, as we won't have time for a lot of other things. Here is a conceptual idea of what we'd like the front to look like once we're done.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Twenty-two years ago, the Winter Olympics were hosted by our city.
This was the last time they were held in Canada. With the 2010 Olympics going on in Vancouver right now,
we thought we'd offer a few snapshots from the past.
Whereas the slogan for the 2010 Olympics is "I believe,"
in 1988 it was "Share the flame" --hence the little candles.
We're absolutely enjoying all the coverage,
though perhaps we get a little too caught up, glued to the television.
Oh--and in case you were wondering,
that's B and his older brother E in the first picture, and the boys with their mom in the second one.

A friend of mine has started writing literary articles for an online newspaper and, while I've not read the book she's critiquing in the above article, I thought I would share the review. N, I completely agree that Whimsy would make for an appropriately unusual first name. :)

Thursday, February 11, 2010

I was reading through my Google reader this morning and came across this post. Rather random blogger I read, but they had a good point. Here is what they said: "I DARE YOU to watch this video and not want to change your life and start doing something you love IMMEDIATELY".

Now I will admit, this video does make me want to fulfill the inner traveler in me. Maybe not entirely change my life, but certainly do some more traveling on our continent. It also kind of makes me want to grow my hair out real long and be a traveling troubadour.

The video reminds me of Dutton, Montana and our trip we took down there two summers ago. Oh, such good memories of that place now. Even though this video was shot in Texas they look quite similar, funny because they are 1687 miles apart.

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

While in principle, snowshoeing is merely walking with wide and awkward aluminum or wood platforms attached to your feet, it completely changes the way you travel through an outdoor space.

When the world is covered in deep drifts of snow, the potential paths are unlimited. A snowshoe-er does not have to stick to a pre-existing path, or follow a logical route, but rather can forge on in any direction, through drifts of any size. Want to tackle that giant overblown drifted hill? Go ahead! Want to mogul through the bush, around trees and over small shrubs? There's nothing stopping you except the width of your snowshoes getting stuck between tree-trunks.

I've commented many times on how much I love Nose Hill Park for the sense of natural peace it brings. When, over Christmas, B and I had the time and energy to head out there, to our delight, there was several feet thick of snow lying on the ground--and uncommon event for Calgary. So in the afternoon sunshine we headed out, up over the hills and across the sections of open plain. Through the deciduous forests and the sections of deep brush.

We encountered coyote, porcupine, mice and deer, all thriving in this wilderness park in the middle of the city. The only animal that seemed concerned about our presence was the mouse--probably because we could have stepped on him without noticing. The others seemed not to care that we were sharing their habitat. Who are these crazy galumphing beings who make their own trails? Why are they taking the path of MOST resistance?

I can't say that snowshoeing is a quiet venture, wherein one can spend time philosophizing on the greater ideals of the world. It's hard work, and the heart pumps and blood rushes and breathing is heavy. But when you stop (to catch your breath) and survey the world from your solitary vantage point, with the late afternoon sun shining and very few other individuals braving the elements to join you, the world is truly beautiful.